Mort Sahl's America

By JULIO MARTINEZ

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Mort Sahl's America (Tiffany Theatre: 99 seats; $ 30 top)
 
Host, Kennedy assassination theorist, screenwriter and more. As an almost ominous reminder of his former fixation on the subject, the many volumes of the Warren Commission Report on the assassination of John F. Kennedy sit on a table at the back of the stage.
 

Sahl's greatest gift as a performer, which has not changed at all since his 1950s days performing at Sunset Boulevard's Crescendo nightclub, is his ability to speak to the audience as if he is having a one-on-one dialogue with someone he respects. He doesn't tell a joke every 30 seconds. The laughs are gentle and often sporadic, but they come out of the audience's recognition and acceptance of his unique intelligence and barbed point of view.

TX:Dunhill Entertainment, in association with Mindy Schwartz, presents a monologue in two acts, performed by Mort Sahl. Executive producers, Bobby Roberts & Roger Paglia; producer, Mindy Schwartz. Lighting design, Ken Booth. Opened July 20, 1996, reviewed July 21; runs until Aug. 11. Running time: 2 hours. The presidential campaign can officially begin. Mort Sahl is back onstage with his 40-plus years of acquired irreverence aimed directly at those with whom we entrust the fate of the nation. Roaming freely about the intimate Tiffany Theatre stage, Sahl, in his trademark V-neck sweater, not only speaks of politicians past and present, but he offers a low-keyed, often hilarious evaluation of his own spotted career as comedian, social commentator, talkshow Of this year's presidential candidates, Sahl is absolutely non-partisan in his denunciations. "Clinton says he's a new type of Democrat. That's for sure -- he's a Republican." Or, "If Dole ran unopposed, he'd be defeated."

Sahl also offers succinct definitions of the electorate. "A liberal is someone who believes in busing but is repelled by school prayer," he observes. "A conservative is someone who is repelled by busing and believes in school prayer. And a moderate would like to compromise and have prayer on the bus."

In contrast to his earlier work, Sahl is much more relaxed about offering anecdotes of his personal life. Divorced, he speaks of his often frustrating relationships with liberated women. He concludes that no one wants to get married anymore except gay couples and an occasional Catholic priest.

TX:After a brief intermission, Mort Sahl focuses his attention on his years working in Hollywood as a scriptwriter (he worked on "Ordinary People" and "The Firm") and his relationships with such megastars as Robert Redford, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Barbra Streisand and Clint Eastwood.

He takes the audience to Streisand's 1992 fundraising extravaganza for then Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, relaying Streisand's analysis of each of the party's attendees. It makes for awe-inspiring listening.

Finally, Sahl does reach for one volume of the Warren Report and quietly reads verbatim one passage that involves Justice Earl Warren and commission member Gerald Ford as they interrogate the bartender from Jack Ruby's strip club. Their prurient interest in the onstage activities of the strippers is obvious and Sahl offers no further comment but to shrug and place the volume back on the table.

Sahl, 69, has not discarded any of his past passions and concerns. He simply has lined them up with a new age and become a gentler communicator. It only adds to the power of his valuable voice of reason.